Rotary compound steam-engine.



lC. R. HILTY.

ROTARY COMPOUND STEAM ENGINE. I

APPLICATION FILED DEU. 13, 1909.

C. R. HILTY.

ROTARY UOMPOUND STEAM ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 13110.13, 1909.

g Patented May 1o, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. R. HILTY.

ROTARY UOMPOUND STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED DBC. 1a, 1909.

Patented May -10, 1910.

4 SHBBTS-SHEET 3.

ANDREW s, GRAHAM c1 vuommmonvr wnsmnswN. u C.

C. R. HVILTY. ROTARY GOMPOUND STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.13, 1909.

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CHARLES R. HILTY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ROTARY COMPOUND STEAM-ENGINE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1G, 1910.

Application filed December 13, 1909. Serial No. 532,358.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. HILTY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Compound Steam- Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary compound steam engines and has for its object the production of an engine of vafter fully described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improved engine taken on line of Fig. 3, Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on line g/-g/ of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a vertical section of an improved compound throttle valve provided for the engine, Fig. 5 is an end view thereof, and Fig. 6 is a central vertical section.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 designates the engine casing and 2 a power shaft journaled therein by means of roller bearings as shown. Fixed to the shaft 2 and adapted to rotate in the casing 1 is a cylindrical piston 3 having two diametrically opposed radial blades which are provided with longitudinal packing strips as shown. R0- tatable cylindrical members 4 which serve the function of cylinder heads are mounted diametrically opposite in the casing 1 and are each in contact with the periphery of the piston 3 or the packing strips provided therefor. The oppositely disposed high pressure annular steam expansion chambers or cylinders 5 and 6, the piston 3, and the members 4 are similar in every respect to corresponding members of the low pressure cylinders, the latter, however, having Va greater length and volume than the high pressure cylinders. The piston 3 of the low pressure cylinder is fixed to the power shaft 2, and the other parts have the same relation thereto as is shown in the high pressure cylinder. A drive spur gear 7 is fixed to one end of the power shaft 2, and geared therewith are gears 8 which are xed to and are adapted to rotate the shafts or journals 9 to which the members 4 are secured, the ratio of said gears being 2 :1 as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The diameter of piston 3 is double that of the members 4, and these members having a rolling contact on said pis ton, the friction and consequent wear due to sliding friction being thus obviated. The peripheral recess 10 provided in each member 4 is adapted to register with a blade of a piston and to permit the same to pass said member in its rotation with the power shaft 2. Packing strips are provided to prevent leakage past the members 4.

The valve mechanism for the high and low pressure cylinders are similar and comprise rocker valves 12-which are properly mounted and timed to control the admission and exhaust of the engine. Pipes 13 and 14 connected to the high pressure cylinders serve as admission and exhaust pipes respectively when the engine is running in the direction indicated, and pipes 13 and 14 respectively serve as admission and exhaust pipes for the low pressure cylinders.

The valves 12 are rocked simultaneously by means of the valve gear shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This gear comprises two oppositely disposed eccentrics 17 which are secured to each end of a shaft 9, said eccentrics being provided with eccentric rods 19. These eccentric rods are pivoted to the opposed ends of a link 21 which is arranged to slide over a pin 22, the latter' being secured in the face of an oscillatory disk 23. The link 21 is pivoted to an operating rod 24 which may be moved by hand or by other suitable means and adapted to hold said link in the position relative to the eccentric rods as shown in Fig. 2 when the engine is running as indicated. The free end of the rod 24 may be locked in position by suitable means (not shown), and' to reverse the engine said rod is moved over so that the pin 22 is in the other end of the link 21. Thus one end of the link 21 is always free to move vertically by means of the eccentric rod connected thereto, and the other end of the link oscillates the disk 23 through the medium of the pin 2Q'. Each rocker valve 12 is provided with an arm 25 at its outer end, and parallel rods 26 connect these arms, the rods 27 leading` to and being moved by the oscillatory disk 23.

The compound throttle valve 23 comprises chambers or cylinders Q9 and 30 having oscillatory valves 30 mounted therein. Each valve is provided with an outwardly projecting stem 31 to one of which an arm 32 is secured and to the other a throttle wheel 33, said arm and throttle wheel being connected by means of a parallel rod 34:. Thus when the throttle wheel is rotated by hand the valves move simultaneously and open or close their respective ports. In Fig. 4: the movement of the valves is illustrated, the full line position showing the position required when the engine is ruiming in the direction indicated.

The engine operates as follows: When the valves are turned from the intermediate dotted line position to the full line position the eccentrics are in the position shown1 steam will flow into the admission pipes 13 and thence through the high pressure cylinders. Then after the piston blades pass the exhaust ports the steam passes through the exhaust rocker valves into the exhaust pipes 14 and thence into the respective chambers 35 and 36 having the port 37 therebetween. The steam then flows through the pipes 13 to the low pressure cylinders and thence through the pipes 14 to the chamber 38 whence it passes to atmosphere through lthe pipe 39. To reverse the engine the link 21 is thrown over as aforesaid and the throttle valve turned so that the valves will be in the other extreme or dotted line position which causes the admission pipes to then serve as exhaust pipes.

It will be noted that the parts are arranged in perfect balance and that consequently a minimum of vibration is produced during the operation of the engine.

lVhile I have shown what I deem to be the preferable form of my invention I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be various changes made in the details of construction and the arrangement of parts described without departing from my invention, and hence I desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a rotary engine, a casing provided with an annular expansion chamber, a power shaft rotatably mounted in said casing, a cylindrical piston mounted in said power shaft and forming the inner wall of said annular chamber, diametrically disposed piston blades on said piston and traveling in said annular chamber, diametrically opposed cylindrical members in rolling contact with said piston and provided with recesses adapted to per mit the passage of said piston blades, admission and exhaust ports for said chamber, means for opening and closing said ports to effect the continuous rotation of said piston, and means for rotating said cylindrical members, said last named means comprising spuraears secured to the journals of said members in mesh with a gear secured to said power shaft, and said first named means comprising rocker valves mounted in said casing and adapted to operate simultaneously substantially as described.

2. In a rotary engine, a casing provided with an annular expansion chamber, a power shaft mounted in said casing, a cylindrical piston mounted on said power shaft and forming the inner wall of said annular chamber, diametrically disposed piston blades 0n said piston and traveling in said annular chamber, diametrically opposed cylindrical members in rolling contact with said piston and provided with recesses adapted to permit the passage of said piston blades, admission and exhaust ports for said cham ber, means for opening and cl'osingrsaid ports comprising rocker valves mounted in said casing having arms at their outer ends, parallel rods connecting said arms, an oscillatory disk mounted on said casing connected with and adapted to actuate said valve arms, and means for oscillating said disk, substantially as described.

3. In a rotary engine, a casing provided with an annular expansion chamber, a power shaft rotatably mounted in said casing, a cylindrical piston mounted on said power shaft and forming the inner wall of said annular chamber', diametrically disposed piston blades on said piston and traveling in said annular chamber, diametrically opposed cylindrical members in rolling contact with said piston and provided with recesses adapted to permit the passage of said piston blades, admission and exhaust ports for said chamber, means for opening and closing said ports comprising rocker valves mounted in said casing having arms at their outer ends, parallel rods connecting said arms, an oscillatory disk mounted on said casing connected with and adapted to actuate saidV pressure annular expansion chambers; a power shaft rotatably mounted in said casings; cylindrical pistons mounted on said power shaft and forming the inner walls of said annular chambers; diametrically disposed piston blades on said pistons and traveling in said annular chambers; diametrically opposed cylindrical members in rolling Contact with said pistons and provided with recesses adapted to permit the passage of said piston blades, admission and exhaust ports for said chambers; means for opening and closing said ports to eii'ect the continuous rotation of said pistons; and a compound throttle valve having two cylindrical chambers in which oscillatory valves are mounted and adapted to control the flow of steam to and from the engine cylinders which are tied to said throttle valve, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES R. HILTY.

Witnesses:

HELEN F. LILLIs, JOSHUA R. H. Po'r'rs. 

